If I were to be asked for a recommendation on what kind of practice is most effective towards self discovery and attain what Hindu calls jivan mukhti or self liberation.
Jivanmukti transforms the individual, molds his/her character so that he/she is liberated while still alive. Being free from desiring pleasures of this world and heaven is a supreme level of detachment.
I would have to say firstly that one has to truly want to do it. One has to make the commitment wholeheartedly with the determination to go all out and all the way, one's life is dedicated towards the journey of self discovery like holding a ball of fire in your hand until it turns to ashes. The desire to know who you truly are beyond name and form, race and religion, beyond all that the mind has conditioned one to accept who one thinks one is, is like a pilgrimage towards meeting the Maker, the Creator, the Source. It is like peeling the onion layer after layer until there is nothing left to peel and what is left is the formless and the emptiness of being; one's original 'Buddha Nature', the Unborn and the Immortal.
I would next advice to take up a serious practice of meditation, it can be any form so long as one understands and most comfortable with in order to get to into a state of removal from the external influences, a state of solitary confinement of the mind and its mental states. Taming the mind is the essence of meditation where the habitual act of incessant thinking is brought to an end and the blissful state of peace and tranquility is achieved and allows for a pause where new thoughts and impressions can arise for the benefit of the practice. Creative instinct, original ideas, intuitive thoughts can only appera when there is a gap of silence or empty space is available for them to do so; meditation helps towards to achieve this stat. Today there os no excuse for not knowing how to anymore as the wisdom and knowledge of the what and how to of meditation is readily available on Internet especially on You Tube; Iqrar! Read!, as the Angel Gibrail alai i Salam commanded to Prophet to do when they first encountered. The Guru and the Roshis, the Teachers and Masters are available online for anyone interested in the art of meditation; the art of healing the chaotic mind.
Thirdly. It is imperative that one develops a sense of discipline and awareness towards performing our daily tasks and to implement all that is required for us to do albeit doing the dishes or working in the field, that we carry out our tasks with complete devotion and mindfulness. Watching the mind as we perform whatever task that is laid before us is another form of meditation; this is meditation in action. How often do we notice that the mind would try to revolt against doing something tedious like doing the dishes day in day out when the dirty dishes were not even our own. How often does the mind creeps in and whisper to us to let is slide and let someone else do our chores for us or stay in bed a little longer or walk by a beggar sitting and stretching out his or her hand for alms and the mind simply whispers, get a job. A sense of self discipline imposed upon the mind by you the owner of the mind will help for us to recognize our relationship with our own mind and body; who is the boss? A thorough understanding or the inner workings of our physical, mental and spiritual workings of ourselves would help to enhance our understanding of who we truly are as compared to who we have come to think we are. As it is we have been conditioned from the day we were born by external stimuli in the form of our parents, peers, teacher and so forth and as such who we think we are is a byproduct of conditioning and this we have to free ourselves from and it is never too late.
Self discovery is a very arduous process or so it may seem, however if we give a little attention towards wanting to get to know ourselves better we will find it often is a matter of simple commonsense. There nothing on this planet that worth knowing than our true nature or who we truly are and it may take w lifetime of research and practice or it can happen just overnight, it all depends on how vital it is an endeavor you take it to be. How urgent or important it is to get to truly know oneself in this life is it a matter worth to die for, as it is why we are are alive, why we keep making the same errors and feel the same sense of loss and drifting as we grow older. When death knocks at our door how would we like to exit this life? As one who is awakened and enlightened or one who has lived life in ignorance and darkness with a herd and slave mentality or one whose spiritual development has matured to a state liberation free from fear of even death itself. As a matter of fact most sages and great masters even look forward to death and dying as just another door towards yet another realm of existence where one can embark upon yet a new journey in a different form and circumstances totally in control of every situation that is met with; He who knows himself, knows his Maker, the Prophet of Allah is said to have said.
For those who seriously are on the road towards self discovery I would recommend a You Tube video - "Self inquiry as taught in Raja Yoga." or "Introduction to Sat Yoga Teachings; Science and Art of Self Realization. "What is Self - Enquiry. How to do it.- Ramana Maharshi and many others. There is an abundance of knowledge available and it is a matter of one's choice to make the journey, the question being one has nothing to loose but a whole lot to gain in terms of one's personal growth, to be able to live life and see the world in a whole new and unabridged perspective. To become a master of one's own destiny, create one's own perspective in the world we live, to become a Creator and not a spectator.
" When you start the reflective self inquiry, ask yourself who am I, what do I want, what is my purpose, what am I grateful for, go into the stillness of meditation you have what wisdom tradition have called revelation, revealed truth... when you have discovered the awareness of awareness, it's called, Nirvana. (Enlightenment.)" Deepak Chopra - Interview on Impact Theory - You Tube channel. I highly recommend to listen to this interview and such similar presentations as part of one's practice towards self discovery.
To be contd. #jivanmukti #buddhanature #meditation #awareness # consciousness #rajayoga #ramanamaharshi #deepakchopra #impacttheory
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